The Decisions We Make
by Kate8113
Summary: Jackson and April were unable to work out their differences, but is there still hope for the two? 5 years later, April is a single mom. Jackson is in an unhappy relationship. Set in the future when they both return to Grey Sloan Memorial.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I have a few stories happening in my head now, and I just wanted to write this one. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but that's okay:)**

 **Also, I want to preface saying I fully hope (think) Japril will work out their problems in the show. This is an AU look into the future if they didn't work out their problems. Also, I changed a few details, but it's mostly canon until the most recent.**

"Mommy, can we get Honey Nut Cheerios? Please! I know you said there is a lot of sugar, but I really think I need it" said the 4 year old, red headed boy.

April smiled sweetly at her boy and got down to eye level with him. "Oh. you need it, bud? How about we get the little box of Honey Nut Cheerios, but a big box of just Cheerios? So we can mix them."

"But Mommy, I always eat the healthy cereal. All of the other kids get to eat sugar in their cereal" the little boy interjected.

April sighed. She knew she could be a bit overprotective with her little boy. It all stemmed back to losing her other little boy nearly 6 and a half years ago. Plus, it wasn't easy being a single, working mom. To top it all off, they had just relocated to Seattle. Lucas had friends back in Chicago, and it was hard for the little boy to adjust to the move. "Hey Luke, how about we get some ice cream after we leave here?" April suggested sweetly. A little bribery never hurt anybody she told herself.

"Yayyyyy!' Lucas exclaimed happily.

"First, we have to finish grocery shopping. Okay, buddy?"

"Okay, mommy" he responded.

Lucas was very mature for a 4 year old. April wanted to give him the happiest childhood she could, but she knew her own sadness affected him. April thought back to her once perky, seemingly carefree self. The loss of her first boy and the subsequent dissolvement of her marriage to the one man she ever loved changed her. She didn't smile as brightly as she once did. Didn't laugh as loudly.

However, her periods of depression did give her the gift of appreciating every little moment with her son. She still saw a therapist to make sure she'd keep her sadness at bay. Lucas literally saved her. Everything she did was for her little boy. So, when Dr. Bailey called her and asked if she wanted to become Head of Trauma at Grey Sloan, she knew she couldn't say no the higher pay.

So, she packed up her and Lucas, and they moved out less than a month after the offer. April was worried that the move would be awkward. During her times of depression, she had burned some bridges with her colleagues. Honestly, she wasn't even sure who was still working at Grey Sloan.

Arizona was the only one she really kept in touch with, and she was kind enough to give her small updates including the whereabouts of her ex-husband. Jackson was back in Boston. Arizona never gave her details about his personal life and she had never asked. It was too painful thinking about Jackson and the pain she had inflicted upon him. It was too painful wondering if he had moved on. She truly hoped he found happiness, but the thought of him with another woman was too much for her to think about. After she had come back from war, they had tried to make things work. They had even gone to therapy, but they both knew it wasn't working. April could see that Jackson loved her and she knew she loved him. It seemed like a no-brainer they should stay together, but April was too far into her dark hole to be able to actually show him she loved him.

When she moved to Chicago, her parents insisted that she should go to therapy. She was diagnosed with depression at her first session. Less than a month after moving to Chicago, the divorce papers came.

April still loved Jackson. After a few weeks of therapy and prescription meds, she considered moving back to Seattle and telling him about all of the progress she had made in therapy. She thought about surprising him, and telling him how much she needed him. She wanted to ask him about how he's been and insist she could be a good, present wife again.

All of those thoughts were crushed by very bittersweet news. She was two months pregnant. Considering the devastation of her pregnancy with Samuel, she was terrified. Plus, this baby was not her husband's baby. She wished with everything in her that she was carrying Jackson's baby, but that wouldn't make it true.

April had not cheated on Jackson. Well, not technically. She had decided alcohol could solve her problems after Jackson told her that he couldn't be in the marriage anymore. He insisted he loved her, but he just couldn't remain married. She had barely blamed him. April was aware of her own inability to feel for others in her despondent state.

So, she had gotten drunk at Joe's, and had the most out of character moment of her life when she slept with the first man who hit on her.

She had cried afterward. She had lived 28 years a virgin. Then, she had married her best friend, and she was sure he would be the only man she would ever be with. Then, she shot that all to hell when she drunkenly hooked up with a deadbeat lawyer. That was her rock bottom. So, she told Jackson that day she was moving to Chicago to be closer to her family and to start fresh. She could see the pain in his eyes. Although, she could also see a bit of relief if she was being honest with herself. He had wished her well, and that was the last interaction they had ever had.

She could never fully regret that one night stand because it gave her the most important person in her life. Lucas.

After receiving the news she was pregnant, April signed the divorce papers, boxed up her wedding ring, and sent them the very next day. She refused to hurt Jackson even more.

"Mommmy!" the little boy said loudly to bring April back out of her thoughts. Seattle was going to take her back to places. Challenging places.

"Yes, buddy?" April said with a smile.

"Are we going to see Arizona?" he asked happily. Arizona had visited them in Chicago on a few occasions, and he had absolutely loved her. As a pediatric surgeon, she was amazing with kids. Plus, he had instantly connected with Sophia.

April had forgotten to inform the young boy that she had moved to Portland. So much transition everywhere. "No, she moved away. Sorry, sweetie. But, we can always drive to visit her. She didn't move too far away!"

That seemed to appease the child. "Road triiip!"

"Yup! It'll be so fun!" April said as she scanned the recipe on her phone for a new pasta dish she wanted to try out.

"Mommy, can we get yogurt?" Lucas asked.

"Of course, sweetie" April looked down from her phone, and her heart stopped. He had just been there. "Lucas!" She called out. "Lucas!"

Jackson aimlessly walked around the produce section. He normally didn't actually go to the grocery store. Instead, he would order his groceries on PeaPod, and then wait until they were delivered. He only left his apartment because he needed some space from his girlfriend. He used the term "girlfriend" loosely, but he supposed it fit. They had been exclusively together for 5 months, and she had moved herself in a couple months ago.

They had met at Joe's upon his arrival back in Seattle. Jackson had been weary about returning to Seattle, but his mother insisted his services were needed back at Grey Sloan. He didn't have anything holding him in Boston. No wife. No kids. His friends were disposable. So, he decided to appease his mother and move back to Seattle. Plus, it wouldn't be the worst thing being around his old colleagues. He had left on good terms, and he did genuinely miss Grey and Karev.

He knew his ex-wife wouldn't be there. The last he heard she was in Chicago. He bitterly thought she was probably happily with a guy who was enough for her. Unlike he had been. He couldn't even give her a healthy child.

Jackson shook away his thoughts. She was in the past. He would never go down that road with her or anyone else. His relationship with Nina was very safe. She was still infatuated with his looks and his family name. In the past, Jackson wouldn't have even been friends with someone so superficial. However, she was easy going and not bad on the eyes. Being with her was better than being alone.

Although, she had driven him crazy earlier with talks about going to an upcoming Avery socialite event. He knew he had to go there, but he honestly didn't care what dress she chose to wear. So, he offered to go grocery shopping. He thought Nina might get the hint, but she hadn't. She had sent him 5 different dresses since he had left the apartment. He muted his phone and put it into his back pocket. For now, he'd focus simply on what kind of apples he wanted to buy. Red Delicious or Granny Smith?

His attention drifted from the apple selection to a red headed little boy who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Jackson looked around and didn't see any likely parents around. "Hey.." he said a bit awkwardly to the kid. Jackson had to suppress the painful "what if" thoughts...His boy would have been likely only a couple years older than this boy. If his boy had lived…He shrugged away those thoughts and put his attention on the boy. "Buddy, are you with one of your parents?" Lucas looked up and made eye contact with Jackson. Jackson couldn't help shake the feeling that something seemed familiar about the boy.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I'm with my momma" he said matter of factly. "She said I could get yogurt. What's your name?"

Jackson looked around for a distressed parent. "I'm Jackson. What's your name?" he coaxed. He was sure his mother was losing her mind in worry.

"Lucasssss!" Jackson whipped his head around when he heard a familiar voice yelling. His heartbeat felt like it was going off the charts when his brain was trying to grasp his ex-wife in front of him...Nothing was processing. This little boy was April's son? How? What the hell were they doing in Seattle?

Tears were streaming down April's face. She hugged Lucas so tightly "Thank God. Thank God." She had sprinted around the store creating various scenarios involving a kidnapper and her never seeing her son again. April was so relieved to see her son that she didn't notice the nearby presence of a stunned Jackson. April took Lucas' face in her hands. "Don't you ever run away like that again! You wait for me! A stranger could have taken you with them. Don't you ever do that to me again!" she said in between the tears. "I love you, baby."

At this point, Lucas was sniffling himself. "I'm sorry, momma. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted yogurt. I think I was used to our old store. I sorry" he attempted to defend himself.

April's heart rate calmed down a bit as she couldn't stop hugging him. "You never leave my side again? You understand! There are strangers everywhere here!"

Jackson just stood there dumbly. Part of him realized he could probably just escape without April noticing, but his limbs felt like lead. The sight of his ex-wife with a young son was enough to make him punch a wall and sob uncontrollably simultaneously.

"It's okay, momma. I found Jackson" Lucas stated. "He would've helped me."

On hearing her ex-husband's name, she whipped her head up finally noticing her former best friend. She just stared up at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was still recovering from Lucas running off...she felt like she could pass out. Surely, this was all a dream.

Jackson's mind was running wild. How did April have a son? Well, he knew how...the details made him want to throw up. He quickly shook those thoughts away.

Lucas looked in between both of them. "Momma, do you know Jackson? Why you actin so weird?"

April finally was able to form words. She stood up from the ground while keeping Lucas's hand in her hand. She ignored her son's question, while offering her boy a smile. "Jackson. There are no words. For Lucas, I mean. He was right beside me, and then he was gone. He wanted yogurt, but then he was gone. I ran to the yogurt, but he wasn't there" she rambled on. "Then, I just ran everywhere. Thank you though. This all could have ended much differently" April said as a tear ran down her cheek. Maybe focusing on the present scenario would allow them to avoid the elephant in the room that was their past relationship.

"It's okay" Jackson responded simply wanting to kick himself. Honestly, he had missed those rambles so much. He had forgotten how much until she was rambling right in front of him. "I'm just glad he's alright" Jackson said with a forced smile.

If seeing a young boy wasn't enough to stir up old feelings, seeing April's boy was enough to suffocate him.

What could have been….part of Jackson wished the boy was his. He almost laughed at the thought. How screwed up was wishing his ex-wife had kept his child a secret from just so that he would have a son...He knew it wasn't possible. None of that was possible. April and him hadn't exactly been physical much after she returned from war.

Still, the thought of her moving on so quickly left him feeling angry. However, getting angry in front of her innocent son wouldn't solve anything.

"Yes. Well, what are you doing in Seattle?" Jackson awkwardly inquired...hoping it was just a quick visit. He knew Arizona had moved away, so he wasn't sure would have brought his April back to town.

April looked down at her shoes as she was unable to make eye contact with Jackson. "Since Dr. Hunt left, Dr. Bailey called me and asked if I wanted to be Head of Trauma at Grey Sloan" she answered slowly as she looked up at him. "I still can't believe Dr. Bailey is Chief."

How did he not know that? He was on the board of the freakin hospital. Jackson felt like he was choking on his own saliva. "So, you're...you're back here?...Like for good?"

Jackson had never had a panic attack before, but he felt one coming on.

"Yup! Momma and I moved from Chicago to here. I miss my friends though, but Momma said I'd make new ones here. I do love living by the ocean. There's cool sharks! We just have Lake Michigan in Chicago" the little boy rambled. Clearly, he picked up rambling from his mother.

Jackson plastered on a smile for the boy. The kid seemed genuinely sweet, but he was still processing the situation at hand.

"Do you still work here?" April questioned back. She didn't want Jackson to know Arizona had updated her on his relocation to Boston. Although, she would have to have a strong word with her dear friend about failing to update her on Jackson's relocation back to Seattle.

"I uh. I just moved back around 6 months or so. My mom wanted me to work on board duties here since the hospital had been struggling" Jackson was starting to feel more at ease. Despite how negative everything got in between the two, it almost felt normal talking to her now. He couldn't help himself from scanning her left hand….no wedding ring.

So many unanswered questions. "So, mommy, you guys know each other?" the little boy asked again.

April smiled at her boy while thinking of what Jackson was to her….he had been her best friend, husband, Samuel's father, to her ex-husband. "Buddy, he's an old friend."

Jackson gave a slight genuine smile. Then, silence followed. Both of them struggled with finding any words.

"You know, buddy. We should probably get going. We have so much unpacking to do. We should just go home" April took her attention off Jackson and placed it on Luke.

"Momma, what about ice cream? You promised?" Luke asked sweetly.

"After your running off stunt? I don't think so!" April responded sternly.

Jackson couldn't help staring at the interaction. It hurt seeing the two together. When April was pregnant with their child, he had envisioned moments like this. After they lost Samuel, they had simply been a dream scenario. Now, April was having this moment, but with someone else.

"Fine," the little boy huffed.

"Let's just see if our cart is still there, and then let's go home" April told her son. She knew Jackson was standing there...This would go in the books as the most awkward moment of her life. There was so much to say to Jackson, but no words could come out. Lucas let go of his mother's hand and ran toward Jackson. The little boy offered up his hand to the older man.

Jackson couldn't help, but laugh. A four year old had never tried to shake hands with him before. "Nice to meet you, Jackson" the boy smiled sweetly.

"Nice to meet you too" Jackson responded kindly.

Now, April felt her emotions about to overwhelm her. With April being his only parent, he always seemed to connect with women more than men. Seeing Lucas with Jackson was overwhelming to say the least. She knew they need to leave before the whole store saw her cry.

"Buddy, come on!" April coaxed. "Jackson, thank you again for watching out for him" she said genuinely.

"No problem" he responded. "Uh..See you later."

Lucas went back toward his mother before waving bye to Jackson.

"Bye" April stated awkwardly as she quickly walked away with Luke. She decided to leave the cart behind, and just exit the store as tears rolled down her face.

Jackson remained by the apples with his heart pounding out of his chest. What just happened? He finally took out his phone. Ignoring the 10 missed texts from Nina, he dials Dr. Bailey.

"Hi Jackson!" Dr. Bailey greeted.

"What the hell, Dr. Bailey?" Jackson spit out.

 **Please let me know any thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it!**

"Dr. Bailey. What the hell?" Jackson spit out. He felt like he was in a dream world. He had completely prepared himself to never see her again. Let alone work with her ever again. Let alone see her with her son.

"Avery. What kind of greeting was that? Didn't your mother teach you better?" Bailey responded sassily.

"April. You hired her back? Isn't that a decision I should have part of?"

"You are on the board, Avery. You are not Chief of Surgery. I know everything has been handed to you, and you expect to hold the power. I am Chief. Currently, I hold the power. Dr. Kepner has a wonderful resume. She excelled at the Northwestern Trauma Center, and I know she'll whip our trauma center back into shape," Bailey responded.

"Dr. Bailey. She's my.." Jackson retorted.

"Dr. Avery, I know you have history with Kepner. I simply don't care. Leave your personal life outside the hospital. I am doing what's best for the hospital" Bailey interrupted.

"Dr. Bailey!" Jackson tried again.

"There's no changing my mind. Besides, she's already moved here. You two used to be friends before...well you know. I'm sure you two can manage to be civil. Now, I must go. I have an important meeting. Bye Avery," Bailey responded before hanging up.

"Bailey!" Jackson nearly yelled. People in the grocery store were looking at him strangely. He needed to get out of there. He knew he should respond to Nina, but he didn't feel he could at the moment.

Seeing April was bringing him back to some dark places. Some places he never wanted to revisit.

 _Jackson walked into their apartment, and saw April sitting there. She looked defeated and cold. If anyone would have referred to his bubbly best friend turned wife as "cold" before, he would have considered that person to be crazy. However, times were different. Losing their son and her time in war changed her. He didn't want to lose her, but he already had._

" _April," he said a bit void of emotion._

 _She looked up at him not bothering to smile. "Hi," she responded simply._

 _Yesterday, he had told her he couldn't be in this marriage anymore. It had been 6 months since she'd returned from war. They'd barely spoken in the past 4 months. After April had initially wanted to return to Jordan, he'd told her he couldn't be waiting for her. It literally broke his heart verbalizing that thought. Things had slightly improved for a couple weeks after. They even tried a few marriage counseling sessions, but then April had stopped wanting to go. She stopped fighting for the marriage. He wasn't sure if she was resentful about the ultimatum or just defeated in general. He just knew he couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't hope each day for April to come around. He couldn't help her if she wasn't willing to help herself._

 _April barely seemed fazed yesterday when he asked to end their marriage. He looked at her now._

" _Jackson, I'm moving to Chicago," she stated simply. "I already packed up my stuff and I'm having it shipped out."_

 _Jackson was stunned. "I know things didn't work out for us, but you don't have to move across country."_

 _April ignored his comment. "I booked a last minute flight for tomorrow. I already informed Dr. Hunt. I haven't found a surgical job yet, but I can work for the Army Reserves Training Corp until I do," she stated barely making eye contact._

 _Jackson just shook his head. "Well, looks like you were prepared for this for awhile."_

" _I was just keeping my options open" she stated._

 _Jackson wanted to scream WHO ARE YOU at the top of his lungs. This stranger in front of him used to be the one he knew he would spend forever with. The mother of his children. His best friend until the end….Yet, here they were._

 _April stood up in front of Jackson. Jackson was almost frightened by how empty her eyes looked. He used to feel as if he could see straight into her soul when he locked eyes with her. "So, I should be going then" she said nonchalantly._

 _He should his head and laughed sadly. "I guess so."_

 _April surprised him by awkwardly giving him a hug. Considering the hours they spent cuddling in the mornings after making love, it was very unsettling to see how far they had fallen. A tear rolled down April's face. "So, good luck with everything, Jackson. You deserve all of the happiness in the world," she said as she awkwardly let go of him._

 _He didn't know what to say. She'd shown more emotion in that moment than she had in months. Part of him wanted to beg her to stay, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. "Thanks...Uh you too." He wanted to sound sincere, but he knew his tone had dropped short._

 _With that, April walked to the front door. She turned the knob, and she turned back toward him. "I'll always love you."_

 _Jackson smiled half-heartedly. If only love was enough to save them. "Same here," he whispered before she walked out of his life._

Jackson grimaced at the painful memory. She had left him...she had chosen to go. Why had she come back into it? Well, Dr. Bailey helped that along, but he still didn't know what to do or think. So, he decided to drive to the place where he managed to feel a little bit of comfort.

He drove to a little cemetery outside of Seattle. He just needed to visit his boy. He still wasn't religious, and part of him knew he only went to the cemetery to make himself feel connected to his son. Although, he did pretend some days that Samuel knew he was there.

For the first few months after Samuel's death, he would go with April once a week. April would pray over him, and she would place flowers on his grave. They would cry together and would find safety in the comfort of one another. April would gradually go with him less and less as she withdrew further within herself. After she went to war, Jackson would visit Sam during holidays and special occasions like April's due date and the anniversary of his passing. When he'd move to Boston, he would visit the site whenever he flew to Seattle for board meetings.

As the time progressed, people asked him less and less about how he was doing. Others simply forgot as time went on. Regardless, he always kept Samuel in his thoughts. Today wasn't any special occasion, but he just needed to feel connected to his boy.

He parked his car in his usual spot, and he walked half a mile up to Sam's little tombstone. April had picked it out. There was a little angel on the stone. Jackson was surprised to see fresh flowers and a little bear by the stone. Besides his mother leaving flowers once a year, no one else really visited the gravesite. He picked up the bear, and read the little card simply said: "From Mommy."

Jackson barely noticed when a tear fell down his face. April was here. Rationally, he knew she hadn't forgotten their little boy, but it was very easy to feel so isolated in his grief. He couldn't help, but feel bitter toward her. She'd left him. She'd not only left him, but also had another child.

"Hey, Sammy. I love you, little man. I'm sorry I haven't come so often recently, but uh. It seems like your mom came by. She got you a cool bear and nice flowers. I uh..I can't stay long but," Jackson breathed in deeply. The emotions of the day getting the best of him. He had a done pretty decent job of suppressing his feelings for the past few years. His colleagues would probably say he seemed like the same old Jackson. He nearly chuckled as he let the tears finally run down his face. Now, he felt as weak as little child. Before long, he was practically sobbing.

He couldn't even remember the last time he cried. Normally, he'd talk to Sam, and then he would leave without shedding a tear. Today was different. None of this was fair. It wasn't fair they lost Sam in the first place. It wasn't fair April left him. It wasn't fair April was back in his life now after he had finally managed to find peace again.

"I uh. I need to get going, Sam. I have some work stuff to do. I uh. Love you," he said as he noticed he was still grasping tight onto the teddy bear. Before heading back to his car, he placed the little teddy bear back by the tombstone.

April spent far too long looking in the mirror. She wasn't a superficial person, and she'd barely bothered with makeup for the past few years. However, she wanted to make a good impression on her first trip back to Grey Sloan. Dr. Bailey had requested she come in for a quick meeting. While she couldn't magically appear perky, she could seem confident and competent in her skills.

A huge part of her was still reeling from the run in with Jackson. What are the chances she bump in him of all people? April wondered if there was a reason she bumped into him. She grimaced thinking back to Jackson's face when he saw Lucas. If she had known Jackson still lived in Seattle, she wasn't sure if she would still have moved out here. She had treated Jackson very poorly in the last year of their marriage, and she regretted it every single day.

Maybe this was an opportunity to make peace with him? Or, was that just her being selfish in wanting to clear her conscious? The last thing April wanted to do was cause him for pain.

"Momma, how long do we have to go to the hospital for?" Lucas asked. "I want to see a movie."

April smiled at her son. "Well, if we behave, we might be able to see a movie after I meet with my boss. Okay?"

April hadn't had time to find a babysitter yet, so Lucas was tagging along everywhere. She could at least drop him off at the hospital's daycare when she had work. Another task on her seemingly never ending list was finding a preschool for him.

"You look really pretty, momma!"

April pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks little man! That means a lot coming from you," she exclaimed.

"Does Jackson work at the hospital?" Luke questioned.

April sighed. Luke had taken a real interest in Jackson during their brief meeting. She wasn't really sure why? Luke hasn't really interacted with many males, but he had been around some men at their church. It left April a little perplexed.

"Yes, baby. He's a surgeon there," she answered him.

"Like you!" Luke happily stated. The little boy didn't really understand what surgery was, but he knew it was important. He always told people he wanted to be a surgeon like his momma. "Will we see him at the hospital?"

April hoped not. She needed more mental preparation before bumping into him again. "I don't know. Guess we'll see. I'll show you the fun daycare there!" April said enthusiastically. "Let's head out."

Jackson had intended on driving home, but instead he just went back to work. Work was the one constant in his life, and he honestly needed something to distract him. His brief time at the cemetery had helped immensely. Now, he just wanted to distract himself from thoughts about April.

"Hey stranger." Jackson looked up to see Nina in his office with a disapproving look. He immediately felt bad. He shouldn't have ignored all of her texts.

"Hey, Nina. I'm sorry for not responding to your messages. Time just kinda got away from me," he said as he stood up to approach her. She was reliable. She was steady and safe. He knew he shouldn't screw this up. "How about I make it up to you? Dinner at a nice restaurant?"

That was enough to appease the blond haired woman. "Okay. Maybe we can first go to the boutique to get the dress for the Harper Avery ball?" she suggested with a smile.

Jackson wanted to roll his eyes. After the day he had, going to a boutique was literally on the bottom of the list of things he wanted to do. "Okay. Sure."

"Okay. Can we get going? You've been here all day."

Jackson didn't feel like correcting her. No, he'd ran into his ex-wife and then cried like a baby at his son's grave. "Yeah, I didn't even end up going to the grocery store. Bailey called and asked if I'd come here," he easily lied.

Nina accepted his response and took his hand. "Okay. Let's go!"

Jackson gave her a small smile. "Alright," he agreed as they walked out his office hand in hand.

"Momma, I like this hospital. This bridge is cool," Luke informed his mom.

April simply smiled in return. She did admit she missed the beautiful sites of Seattle, and the bridge in the hospital was aesthetically appealing. Although, it reminded her of being held at gunpoint and losing Reed. April was beginning to question her decision to return even more than before.

"April?" Meredith called out as she left Bailey's office. She smiled kindly and gave April a hug. While April and Meredith never were that close, they did bond a bit over tragedies. April lost Samuel the same year that Meredith lost Derek. "We've missed you here!"

April was pleasantly surprised seeing how friendly Meredith was being toward her. She was also happy that her old colleague seemed to be doing well.

Meredith bent down to eye level with Luke. "Well, hello! My name is Meredith. What's your name?"

Luke blushed a bit and hid behind April. "He's kind of shy at times," April said of her son.

"Well, that's okay. Ellie can be shy too," Meredith smiled as she spoke of her daughter.

"How are Zola, Bailey, and Ellie?" April asked politely.

Meredith lit up as she spoke about her kids. "They're doing well! Zola is 11 now, which is so hard to believe."

If someone would have told her during the merger that Meredith would be "brighter" and "shinier" than she would be, April would have laughed. Yet, Meredith seemed content despite the loss of her husband. Now, April felt as if she was the dark and twisty one.

"Wow! I remember babysitting Zola was she just a baby!" April exclaimed.

"Hey Kepner," Alex casually greeted as he ran into the doctors. In some ways, April felt as if she had never left.

"Alex, hey!" April replied. "Long time, no see," she awkwardly added. She noticed Alex's wedding ring. She realized she hadn't kept up with her old roommates at all. April wasn't sure if Alex was married to Jo or someone else.

"You seen Avery, yet?" Alex inquired nosily.

"Alex! That's none of your business," Meredith responded quickly.

April blushed. "I uh…"

"April, no need to respond. I'm sure this is all overwhelming." April was grateful for Meredith in that moment.

"Whatever. They work in the same hospital," Karev defended.

"Well, I'm here right now to meet with Dr. Bailey," April said as she changed the subject.

"Oh. She's in the attendings lounge right now," Karev informed April.

"Okay. Thanks! I'll head there right now. I guess...I guess I'll see you guys later!" April took Luke's hand who had been standing behind her the whole time.

April breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Grey and Karev wasn't as painful as she thought it would be.

"Momma, can we go to the movie?" Luke whined.

"Buddy, I'm sorry. I haven't even met with Dr. Bailey yet."

Just as April and Luke were nearly out of Karev and Grey's eyesight, April literally nearly ran straight into Jackson and a blonde girl as she was responding to Luke.

April blushed profusely...Nothing was going as planned.

 **Let me know your thoughts!**


	3. Chapter 3

April stumbled backward to avoid literally running into her ex husband. In a similar fashion, Jackson took a few steps back needing some separation from the red head. It was way too soon to run into her again so soon. He tried to not stare at his ex-wife, but he had to admit she looked damn good. She looked a bit curvier than before, and her dress really hugged her body in the best possible way. Jackson shook away these thoughts. He could not be checking out April.

Oblivious to the awkward tension in the room, Luke smiled happily and ran up to Jackson. "Hi, Mr. Jackson!"

Jackson wanted to run away from the situation, but he forced a smile for the little boy. "Hey, Luke. How are you doing?"

"Good! Momma needs to talk to Dr. Bailey and then we might see a movie!" he exclaimed.

April was regretting her decision to return to Seattle. The constant anxiety associated with seeing her ex-husband did not seem worth the money at the moment. She is a bit confused as to why her typically reserved son seems to have become so enthralled with Jackson.

Nina decided to chime in. "Ohhhh. How cool! I love going to the movies. What's your name? I don't think I've seen you guys around the hospital. Since I've been seeing Jackson, I feel like I'm always at this hospital. They'll probably even give me my own scrubs here soon." Nina kept smiling at Luke as she clung on to Jackson's hand as if she was marking her territory.

April wanted to roll her eyes. She knew she had no right to be angry that Jackson moved on, but she couldn't help wanting to vomit at seeing them interact. However, the red head didn't want Jackson to see the jealousy, so she forced a smiled and responded for her son. "His name is Lucas and I'm Dr. Kepner. We uh. We just moved here from Chicago, and I'm going to head the trauma department here," April responded kindly. She had no idea what information Jackson had given to her about their past. Did he mention her? Had he told her about Samuel?

Jackson knew he should say something to add to the conversation, but he had no idea what to say. Nina knew he had been married once before, but he had never mentioned April's name.

"Yup! Momma and I live here in Seattle now." Both April and Jackson were grateful that Luke was able to find words. "She's a really important doctor," Luke proudly continued.

April blushed at her son's bragging about her. "Luke, I'm just as important as all of the other doctors," she corrected.

Jackson couldn't stop staring at the two. He realized he probably seemed socially incompetent at the moment, but he was still grasping the fact April had a young son. How old was the boy? 4?

Even Nina was able to sense the strange tension in the air. "So, Jackson. Do you know Dr. Kepner?" she inquired.

Jackson didn't know how to respond...Yes, I stopped her wedding to another man. We eloped and I thought we would spend the rest of our lives together. We had a little boy together...Then, everything turned to shit, and now she's my ex-wife. "Yeah uh," Jackson nearly cringed at how his voice sounded. He cleared his throat. "We used to work together," he said simply.

April checked the time on her phone. "Well, I need to go meet with Dr. Bailey" she interjected. "It was nice meeting you," April paused as she realized she still didn't know the blonde's name.

"I'm Nina!" she said as she held out her hand for April to shake.

April awkwardly shook hands with Nina. Nina crouched down to get to eye level with Lucas, which irritated April more than she would like. "It was great meeting you, Luke."

"It was also nice meeting you, Nina," he said politely back. "Bye, Mr. Jackson!"

Jackson couldn't help but smile. "Bye, buddy."

April put her hand on her son's shoulders and guided him past the couple. "Bye. I hope you have a good night," she forced out before the two disappeared out of sight.

Nina turned to Jackson. "What the hell was that? I've never seen you so tongue tied before. What's the deal with you two?"

"Nothing. Sorry, Nina. I guess I just have a lot on my mind with the hospital and work..."

"Jackson, that's bullshit. You seemed fine until you saw Dr. Kepner. Did you guys used to date or something?"

There was no point in lying. "Yeah, Nina. Dr. Kepner is actually my ex-wife," he said cautiously to his girlfriend.

The two were still standing in the hallway. Jackson's eyes were transfixed on the wall behind Nina.

"Your ex-wife is now working here?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I just found out. It's no big deal though," he stated trying to sound casual.

"Well, you sure seemed like it was a big deal," she said with her arms crossed. "Why didn't you tell me this before? So, I wouldn't look like an idiot."

"Nina. Stop it. You didn't look like an idiot. I didn't tell you because I didn't see the point. Dr. Kepner and I have been over for many years. It wasn't a great ending, and it is awkward seeing her," he admitted. Then, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Nina, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but she doesn't mean anything to me anymore. It'll just be awkward for awhile, but we're both professionals. It's fine." Jackson tried to believe these words himself.

Nina smiled. "Fine. I'll take that I guess. I'm trying to not be jealous. I mean she is really pretty."

Jackson couldn't disagree with that, but he knew better than to comment on it. "Nina, there's nothing to worry about," he said as he looked into Nina's eyes.

"Fine. I believe you," Nina paused. She seemed a bit nervous to say what was on her mind.

"What…what's on your mind?" he asked.

"So, how cute was Lucas?" she started.

The last thing Jackson wanted to do was to talk about April's son. "Yeah.."

"What if we had a baby?" she said slowly.

"No. I don't want kids," Jackson responded immediately….

"Well, it wouldn't have to be now…but maybe in a few years? I mean I'm 33. I've always wanted kids,"

Jackson felt dizzy. They hadn't even been going out all that long, and he always felt queasy at the mention of kids. Once upon a time, he was supposed to be a father. He was a father…well kinda…but he knew he couldn't go through all of that again. Plus, he wasn't dad material.

"Nina. No, I don't ever want kids. I'm sorry. I guess you should know this now," he said rather curtly. "I'd understand if this was a deal breaker." Part of Jackson wouldn't even care if it was. He liked Nina, but he wasn't in love with her. Granted, he doubts he'd ever try love again.

"No. Jackson. I don't want that at all. Look, we can talk about this another time. Okay?"

"Okay. Let's just get out of here," Jackson needed to get out of the hospital shortly.


End file.
